Kōyō Gunkan - The War Battles Of The Takeda

[Baka Gaijin]

Here are the complete 35 books of the Kōyō Gunkan 甲陽軍鑑 コウヨウグンカン  in nara ehon (Lavishly illustrated with real gold) format.

 

The Kōyō Gunkan depicts the war battles of the Takeda for two generations.

 

This is an Utsushi (写) of the original which was commissioned in 1616, copied over twenty years in the Kanbun and Enpo eras (1661 - 1681)

 

Many of the books are text only, but the illustrations of Courtly life and Battles make the search all the more worthy.

 

Imagine what they must have looked like by candlelight!

 

http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1288490?itemId=info%3Andljp%2Fpid%2F1288490&tocOpened=1&__lang=en

 

This will explain more about Kōyō Gunkan:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dy%C5%8D_Gunkan

[Baka Gaijin]

Just discovered that Kōyō Gunkan contains the first ever reference to the term Bushidō,  but the term did not come into common usage until after the 1899 publication of Nitobe Inazō's Bushido: The Soul of Japan.

[SAS]

Is this the Aizu clan or the Kyushu group?

[Baka Gaijin]

Hi Steve, 

 

Kōyō Gunkan documents the Takeda clan, notably Takeda Shingen   武田 信玄, December 1, 1521 – May 13, 1573  and his son Takeda Katsuyori 武田 勝頼, 1546 – 3 April 1582.

 

(Both were Daimyō of the province of Kai 甲斐国 Kai-no-kuni which was a landlocked area, more or less present day Yamanashi Prefecture, which includes Mt Fuji.)

 

It was begun by a vassal of the Takeda,  Kōsaku Masanobu (高坂 昌信1527 – June 12, 1578), other authors were involved and it was completed in 1616 by Obata Kagenori (小幡景憲 1572–1663).

 

The version we have here was begun in 1661 and completed in 1681, almost a century after the death of Takeda Katsuyori.

 

After the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, the Takeda clan was effectively destroyed, though some of its vassals made a name for themselves in positions of power during the Tokugawa Bakufu; most however changed their names.

 

Takeda is an extremely popular name in Japan, but most have little or no relationship to the mainline Takeda.

 

The late Stanley Pranin made an in depth study of the Takeda Family in the Aizu area, notably Takeda Sōkaku 武田 惣角, October 10, 1859 – April 25, 1943 and had access to many of their documents.

 

This link might help:

 

https://aikidojournal.com/

[SAS]

Thanks Malcolm; you may have guessed why i asked, as i am a student of Aikido, and am interested in its Daitoryu roots. I had communicated a few times with Stanley Pranin Sensei prior to his death. Fortunately the folks from Izakuchi dojo have picked up the torch to continue Aikido Journal.

[Baka Gaijin]

Here are the complete 35 books of 甲陽軍鑑 コウヨウグンカン Kōyō Gunkan detailed with the type of illustration.

 

Scenes of Courtly life CL

Battles B

Horses H

Matchlocks M

Genre Scenes G

Note that some pages may be a combination of classifications.

 

 

Book 1 一 No illustrations

Book 2 二 Page 7 CL Page 12 B Page 15 G Page 20 CL Page 23 CL

Page 28 CL Page 32 CL

Book 3 三 Page 7 CL Page 13 CL & M Page 17 CL & B Page 22 B

Page 28 CL Page 31 CL Page 38 B

Book 4 四 Page 9 CL Page 14 CL Page 20 CL Page 25 CL Page 30 CL

Page 34 CL & B Page 37 CL

Book 5 五 Page 6 CL Page 12 CL Page 18 CL Page 23 G & CL Page 25 B

Book 6 六 Page 7 G Page 10 CL Page 17 CL Page 22 G Page 27 CL

Page 31 H Page 35 CL & G

Book 7 七 Page 8 B Page 13 CL Page 18 CL Page 25 H & G Page 33 CL

Page 43 CL Page 55 B

Book 8 八 Page 8 B Page 14 CL Page 23 CL Page 30 B Page 37 CL

Page 43 G

Book 9 九 Page 6 CL Page 11 B Page 17 B Page 21 G Page 24 CL & G

Page 26 CL & G Page 33 CL & G Page 41 CL & G

Book 10 十 Page 14 G Page 30 G Page 35 CL Page 41 B Page 48 B

Book 11 十一 Page 8 CL Page 13 B Page 19 CL Page 30 B Page 37 CL

Page 40 B Page 46 B Page 53 B & M Page 58 CL

Book 12 十二 Page 7 B Page 10 CL Page 17 CL Page 21 CL & G Page 26 B

Page 30 CL

Book 13 十三 Page 8 CL Page 16 B Page 23 CL Page 30 B Page 35 H & G

Page 39 CL Page 44 CL Page 48 CL

Book 14 十四 Page 6 CL Page 15 B & G Page 19 B Page 24 B Page 29 CL

Page 41 B

Book 15 十五 Page 9 B Page 14 CL & G Page 20 CL Page 25 CL Page 28 B

Page 37 CL Page 47 CL

Book 16 十六 Page 10 CL Page 16 CL Page 22 B Page 28 B Page 36 B

Page 42 B Page 51 B

Book 17 十七 Page 7 B Page 14 H & G Page 22 H & G Page 28 B

Page 36 B Page 43 H & G Page 47 CL

Book 18 十八 Page 8 CL Page 15 B Page 22 CL Page 29 CL Page 34 CL

Page 41 M & B Page 51 CL

Book 19 十九 Page 8 G Page 13 B Page 16 B Page 23 H & G Page 27 B

Book 20 二十 Page 6 B Page 12 B Page 15 CL Page 23 B Page 29 B

Page 35 CL Page 43 B Page 47 H & B

Book 21 廿一 Page 9 B & CL Page 14 B Page 23 CL Page 30 B & CL

Page 41 M & B Page 46 B Page 49 CL Page 56 CL & G

Book 22 廿二 Page 6 CL Page 12 M & B Page 18 B Page 22 CL Page 29 CL

Page 40 M & B Page 49 CL Page 53 CL Page 62 M & B

Book 23 廿三 Page 8 CL Page 17 CL Page 24 CL Page 31 B Page 41 CL

Page 50 CL Page 54 CL Page 59 CL

Book 24 廿四 Page 11 CL Page 15 H Page 26 CL Page 33 CL Page 39 CL

Page 45 CL

Book 25 廿五 Page 6 CL Page 12 CL Page 17 CL Page 23 CL Page 27 CL

Page 34 B & G Page 42 CL

Book 26 廿六 Page 14 B Page 26 CL Page 32 H Page 34 M & G

Page 43 CL Page 50 H & B

Book 27 廿七 Obscure line drawings

Book 28 廿八 Page 5 CL & B Page 10 B Page 14 CL Page 21 CL Page 24 B

Page 30 CL Page 35 G Page 40 CL Page 46 CL Page 52 CL

Page 56 CL Page 63 B Page 71 B

Book 29 廿九 Page 5 CL Page 10 CL Page 15 CL Page 21 CL Page 27 CL

Page 33 CL Page 36 G Page 43 B & G Page 48 CL

Book 30 三十 Page 16 CL Page 23 B Page 29 CL

Book 31 卅一 Page 7 B Page 11 B & CL Page 20 M & B Page 26 B

Page 31 B Page 36 B

Book 32 卅二 Page 8 M & B Page 14 G Page 19 B Page 26 CL

Book 33 卅三 Page 7 M & B Page 12 H & B Page 19 G Page 24 M & B

Page 26 CL Page 31 B Page 37 B Page 43 B

Book 34 卅四 Page 8 CL Page 14 CL Page 18 B Page 26 M & B

Page 36 G Page 42 B Page 48 B

Book 35 卅五 Page 6 B Page 9 B Page 14 H & CL Page 21 M & B

Page 26 H & B Page 30 B Page 34 B